Handbook of Hazards and Disaster Risk Reduction

The Handbook provides a comprehensive statement and reference point for hazard and disaster research, policy making, and practice in an international and multi-disciplinary context. It offers critical reviews and appraisals of current state of the art and future development of conceptual, theoretical and practical approaches as well as empirical knowledge and available tools. Organized into five inter-related sections, this Handbook contains sixty-five contributions from leading scholars. Section one situates hazards and disasters in their broad political, cultural, economic, and environmental context. Section two contains treatments of potentially damaging natural events/phenomena organized by major earth system. Section three critically reviews progress in responding to disasters including warning, relief and recovery. Section four addresses mitigation of potential loss and prevention of disasters under two sub-headings: governance, advocacy and self-help, and communication and participation. Section five ends with a concluding chapter by the editors. The engaging international contributions reflect upon the politics and policy of how we think about and practice applied hazard research and disaster risk reduction. This Handbook provides a wealth of interdisciplinary information and will appeal to students and practitioners interested in Geography, Environment Studies and Development Studies.

Table of Contents:
Foreword Salvano Briceño  1. Challenging Risk: We Offer the Reader a Left Foot Book The Editors  Section I: Big Picture Views – Hazards, Vulnerabilities and Capacities  2. Introduction to Section I: Big Picture Views – Hazards, Vulnerabilities and Capacities The Editors  3. Framing Disaster: Theories and Stories Seeking to Understand Hazards, Vulnerability and Risk Ben Wisner, JC Gaillard and Ilan Kelman  4. Historical Concepts of Disasters and Risk Greg Bankoff  5. Politics of Disaster Risk Adolfo Mascarenhas and Ben Wisner  6. Human Rights, Disasters and State Obligations Claudine Haenni Dale and Jean Connolly Carmalt  7. Violent Conflict, Natural Hazards and Disaster Ben Wisner  8. Culture, Hazard and Disaster Kenneth Hewitt  9. Knowledge and Disaster Risk Reduction Jessica Mercer  10. Religious Interpretations of Disaster David Chester, Angus Duncan and Heather Sangster  11. Hazards and Disasters Represented in Film Greg Berger and Ben Wisner  12. Hazards and Disasters Represented in Music Bob Alexander  13. Hazard, Risk and Urbanisation Mark Pelling  14. Disaster Risk and Sustainable Development Chris Bacon  Section II: Fine-Grained Views – Hazards, Vulnerabilities and Capacities  15. Introduction to Section II: Fine-Grained Views – Hazards, Vulnerabilities and Capacities The Editors  16. Data Sources on Hazards Julio Serje  17. Tools for Identifying Hazards Keiko Saito, Jane Strachan, Timothy Fewtrell, Nick Rosser, Susanna Jenkins, Aidan Slingsby and Katharine Haynes  18. Hazard, Risk and Climate Change David Simon  19. Coastal Storm Bas Jonkman, Herman Gerritsen and Marcel Marchand  20. Thunderstorm and Tornado  David Etkin, Kaz Higuchi and George Platsis  21. Flood Hanna Schmuck  22. Drought Tom Smucker  23. Extreme Heat and Cold Sabrina McCormick  24. Wildfire Alexander Held  25. Landslide and other Mass Movements Danang Sri Hadmoko and Salvatore Engels-DiMauro  26. Earthquake Cinna Lomnitz and Ben Wisner  27. Tsunami Brian McAdoo  28. Volcanic Eruption Susanna Jenkins and Katharine Haynes  29. Soil Erosion and Contamination Salvatore Engels-DiMauro  30. Human Epidemic Chris Dibben  31. Livestock Epidemic Delia Grace and John McDermott  32. Plant Disease, Pests and Erosion of Biodiversity Pascal Girot  33. Hazards From Space Bill McGuire  34. Disability and Disaster David Alexander  35. Gender, Sexuality and Disaster Maureen Fordham  36. Children, Youth and Disaster Agnes Babugura  37. Elderly People and Disaster Ehren Ngo  38. Caste, Ethnicity, Religious Affiliation and Disaster JC Gaillard  Section III: Preparedness and Response  39. Introduction to Section III: Preparedness and Response The Editors  40. Early Warning Principles and Systems Juan Carlos Villagran  41. Preparedness, Warning and Evacuation Philip Buckle  42. Emergency Management Principles Alejandro López-Carresi  43. From Damage and Needs Assessments to Relief Claude de Ville de Goyet  44. Health Care and Disaster Mark Keim and Jonathan Abrahams  45. Food Security and Disaster Ian Christoplos  46. Settlement and Shelter Reconstruction Manu Gupta  47. Psycho-Social Recovery Tamman Aloudat and Lene Christensen  48. Socio-Economic Recovery Rohit Jigyasu  Section IV: Planning, Prevention and Mitigation  49. Introduction to Section IV: Planning, Prevention and Mitigation The Editors  50. International Planning Systems for Disaster Margaret Arnold  51. National Planning and Disaster Allan Lavell, JC Gaillard, Ben Wisner, Wendy Saunders and Dewald van Niekerk  52. Local Government and Disaster Geoff O’Brien, Mihir Bhatt, Wendy Saunders, JC Gaillard and Ben Wisner  53. Urban and Regional Planning and Disaster Cassidy Johnson  54. Financial Mechanisms for Disaster Risk Joanne Linnerooth-Bayer  55. Economic Development Policy and Disaster Risk Charlotte Benson  56. Protection of Infrastructure Ana Maria Cruz  57. Social Protection and Disaster Walt Peacock and Carla Prater  58. Livelihood Protection and Support and Disaster David Sanderson  59. Community Action and Disaster  Zenaida Delica Willison and JC Gaillard  60. Civil Society and Disaster Martha Thompson  61. University Research’s Role in Reducing Disaster Risk Thea Hilhorst and Annelies Heijmans  62. Education and Disaster Emmanuel Luna  63. Media, Communication and Disaster Tim Radford and Ben Wisner  64. Participatory Action Research and Disaster Risk Mike McCall and Graciela Peters-Guari  Section V: Conclusion  65. Challenging Risk: Has the Left Foot Stepped Forward? The Editors

About the Author :
Ben Wisner is a retired Professor who has worked on the interface between disaster risk reduction and sustainable human development since 1966. He currently conducts research and advises institutions such as the Global Network of Civil Society for Disaster Reduction. JC Gaillard is Senior Lecturer at the School of Environment of The University of Auckland, New Zealand. Ilan Kelman is a Senior Research Fellow at the Center for International Climate and Environmental Research–Oslo (CICERO).

Review :
"The take-home message is that to fully understand the implications of the worlds of hazards and disaster risk, people must better understand vulnerabilities and how they create the wicked problems of communities. Undoubtedly the most comprehensive book on these topics to date. Summing Up: Essential" -CHOICE, August 2012